Typically, empty trays are manually inducted into a sorting machine or into a tray management system. The trays may be provided from trucks, carts or other sources and manually separated and inducted into a machine or tray management system by an operator. In order to minimize the manual processes, robotic tray separating devices have been proposed. However, such robotic devices are expensive and slow, and require protective caging, which takes up additional floor space.
A device for unstacking rigid containers has been proposed which pulls an individual tray from an end of a horizontally oriented stack of trays. The proposed device includes lateral pressure cylinders which function to pivot as a pair of clamping devices onto the side of the container. The clamping devices squeeze or clamp the container therebetween to grasp the container. Therefore, the proposed device is applicable only for rigid containers which have sufficient structural integrity to withstand the lateral pressure at the sides of the container. Also, the proposed device is costly to manufacture and maintain due to the pressure cylinders.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an efficient, low cost means for separating and destacking individual trays from stacks of empty trays for inducting the empty trays one at a time into a sorting machine or a tray management or handling system, or any other device or system which receives singulated trays at an induct thereof.